Without Her
by Emerald
Summary: What if the tables were turned on Gwen during that fight between her and Theresa at the L.A. apartment? Ethan never imagined what it would be like to lose Theresa... until it was too late.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

The summer was hot and so were the tempers at the lavish Crane apartment…

"What bothers you the most, Gwen, is knowing that your husband is in love with another woman. Your husband is in love with me," Theresa said as she pointed her finger at Gwen before turning and walking away.

It was as if a fire had been lit inside of Gwen as she leapt for Theresa in rage. Gwen jumped on top of Theresa and grabbed her neck. Gwen's hand clamped down and squeezed hard. "DAMN YOU, THERESA! DAMN YOU TO HELL!" she yelled loud enough to be heard upstairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs in the apartment, the yelling resounded slowly, but it wasn't long before Ethan and Fox recognized the voices. 

'DAMN YOU, THERESA! DAMN YOU TO HELL!'

Ethan looked up. "That sounded like Gwen."

"I thought she was told to stay in the hospital," Fox responded.

"She was, but…" Ethan's eyes flashed in terror. "Oh, my God. Theresa…"

Ethan and Fox ran out into the hall and jammed at the button for the elevator.

Theresa's windpipe contracted at the sudden tightness and her lungs were soon screaming for more oxygen. "Gw… Gwen…" Theresa managed to get out. "Gwen… you're…. you're choking… me…"

"That's the idea," Gwen breathed out, exhausting herself, but nonetheless, she squeezed Theresa's neck harder.

* * *

The elevator just decided to take its sweet time and Ethan and Fox were losing all patience. 

"C'mon! C'mon! Damn it!" Ethan yelled. "We have to take the stairs."

Ethan and Fox practically slid their way down the stairs with one thought in mind, get them apart. They both had seen enough Gwen and Theresa fights to know that they'd fight to the death. And they might just make it this time…

* * *

Theresa began to lose consciousness as her eyes fluttered; her brain was trying to save as much oxygen as possible. Theresa's body became even more limp and stopped fighting. Gwen smiled to herself. Gwen put her fingers to Theresa's pulse. It was there, but barely. "I'm going to get rid of you once and for all, you bitch." Gwen looked down at the pool and plunged Theresa in. Theresa's left temple crashed to the pool floor, followed by her shoulder. An immediate crack sounded. Theresa's body floated to the top of the water, and Gwen could see the cut on her head. 

Quickly, Gwen grabbed Theresa's neck once again and held in under water, making sure that she wouldn't receive any oxygen.

Ethan and Fox finally reached the ground floor, breathless. What Ethan saw made his heart stop. "Gwen! Gwen!" Ethan screamed as he ran to her. He used all of his strength to get her off of Theresa. "Fox, get Theresa."

Fox ran to her and dragged her out of the water. "Oh, my God. Theresa." He put his ear to her face. "She not breathing. Ethan! She's not breathing!"

Ethan turned and ran to Theresa. "Oh, my God!"

"I don't know CPR," Fox said frantically.

"Take care of Gwen," Ethan instructed.

Ethan rushed over and took Theresa in his arms. He could see the blood coming from the massive cut on her head. He wasn't certified anymore, but he'd be damned if he was just going to let Theresa die.

Not here. Not now.

"Fox, call the paramedics!"

Fox whipped out his cell phone and made the call. All the while standing if front of Gwen, keeping her away from the unconscious Theresa.

Ethan began compressing Theresa's chest. He counted. "1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10.. 11.. 12.. 13.. 14.. 15.." He breathed in her mouth and saw her chest go up. Again. "1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10.. 11.. 12.. 13.. 14.. 15..Come on, Theresa. Breathe! Come one, please! Theresa! Don't do this! Not now!" He breathed in her mouth again. "Theresa, come on. Don't do this. Don't you die on me! You can't leave Little Ethan. Theresa!"

She still wasn't breathing and her pulse was extremely faint. Just then, the paramedics crashed through the doors and ran to Theresa, taking her from Ethan's arms.

"Excuse me, sir." An EMT said. "Let us do our job." Ethan backed away and heard the same man say: "BP 90 over 50. Her vitals are dropping fast."

They heaved her onto the stretcher. The EMTs worked at an amazing pace, hooking her up to different things, and took her out of the building.

Ethan hadn't realized it until he stood, he was crying. His eyes, red and swollen, turned to Gwen. He couldn't even find the words. "How… How… How could you?"

"I…I…," she tried.

Ethan put his hand up to refrain her from speaking. "No, don't. I have to get the hospital. Fox, call them." Fox nodded. "And, Fox, make the other call." At first Fox looked confused, but then he understood. Again he nodded.

Ethan walked out and made his way to the hospital and to Theresa.

* * *

The Los Angeles Hospital was extremely busy but it didn't keep Ethan from running onto an elevator and up to the eleventh floor. 

Ethan ran into the front counter, bruising his ribs. "Excuse me. A woman was just brought in. Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald."

"Yes, sir," a petite nurse said. "Sorry, she's in the ER right now. You'll have to wait."

"But is she-"

"I'm sorry, sir. Please have a seat."

Ethan knew he wasn't going to get anymore out of her and did as he was told.

An hour passed by and Ethan was loosing patience. Fox had come to join him in waiting.

"So, how is she? Have you heard anything?" Fox asked concerned.

"No, they won't say anything."

Ethan stood, trying to maintain his composure.

It wasn't working.

"I just… I can't lose her," Ethan whispered to himself.

Fox looked up, a confused look on his face. "Um, sorry, half-bro, but um, she's not exactly yours to lose."

"Fox, don't start. Whether we're together or not, she can't die. My life would be empty without her. I don't know what I'd do if she did."

"She won't," Fox assured. "Theresa's strong. She'll fight this with every stubborn, headstrong bone in her body."

Ethan smiled. "She is pretty stubborn, isn't she?"

Fox nodded. "Mmm hmmm. Like a rock."

Ethan turned to Fox, an expression that Fox has never seen before on his face. "You know, a long time ago, she wouldn't give up until I finally admitted that I loved her." Tears welled in Ethan's eyes at the memory and he pinched them away.

"You still love her, don't you?"

Ethan turned to Fox. Slowly he nodded. "How can anyone love Theresa like I did and just stop loving her?"

"If you could go back and change things, would you?" Fox asked him.

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean, marry her when you had the chance to years ago."

"I-" Ethan began but was interrupted when a man in a white coat approached them.

"Excuse me, I'm Dr. Callahan. Are you related to Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald?"

Fox looked up at the doctor. "No, we're friends."

"Is she alright?" Ethan asked quickly.

"It's too soon to tell. I just wanted to let you know that she won't wake up for a while. Perhaps it's best if you leave for the night."

"Yeah, okay," Fox said, standing and resting a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "I guess we should get going."

"Can I see her?" Ethan asked, hopeful.

"I'm sorry. Not until tomorrow. She's still unconscious." The doctor replied.

"C'mon, Ethan. Let's go."

Ethan didn't move, despite Fox's urgings. "Is it alright if I stay here tonight?"

"I guess. But, like I said, you won't be able to see her until tomorrow. But, I assure you, she's getting everything she needs."

"Thank you," Ethan said as he watched Dr. Callahan walk away. "I think I'm going to stay here for the night…"

"Are you sure?" Fox asked. "You heard the doctor. You can't see her until tomorrow anyway."

"I know. I just want to be close to her. She'll know I'm here."

"Well, if you insist. I'm gonna head back to the apartment."

"Okay," Ethan said sadly. Fox hugged Ethan goodbye. "Thanks, Fox. Thank you for being here."

Fox smiled. "Don't worry. She's gonna pull through."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

The next morning, Ethan woke to the smell of stale coffee. As he moved in the chair he had slept in, he realized he had a stiff neck. Rubbing it, he checked his watch. It was only 8:00. But already people were hustling around in the never-sleeping hospital.

Just then, Ethan looked up and saw familiar faces coming towards him. It was Pilar, Miguel, Luis, Whitney, Chad, and Fox. Pilar saw him and ran to him. She fell into his arms with tears in her eyes. "How is she? How's my baby girl?"

"I don't know," Ethan answered truthfully. "They haven't said anything."

"But… But, she's still alive…?"

"Yes, the doctor said she was stable for now."

"For now? Oh, God, what does that mean?"

Ethan- "I don't know."

"Oh, God, she just has to be alright," Miguel said worriedly.

"She will be," Whitney interjected. "If I know Theresa, she's not going anywhere until she's challenged Gwen to a rematch."

Pilar suddenly realized that she was no where to be seen. "Where is Gwen?"

"The police took her down to the station yesterday. The captain told me that she will probably be charged with attempted murder one. Here in L.A. she could get a lot of time for that. She will, most likely."

"What happened that would make Gwen just attack Theresa like that? She almost killed her," Luis said.

"We don't know. But, what's worse is that attempted homicide won't be hard to prove on Gwen's part. She left the hospital without permission before she attacked Theresa." Ethan looked down, a flood of guilt washed over him.

"Excuse me…," began Dr. Callahan, making everyone in the room turn to him. "Are you Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald's family?"

"Yes, I'm her mother," Pilar said quickly.

"I'm Dr. Callahan."

"How's Theresa?"

"Well, she has a concussion, she's suffered a head wound, and she also has a broken collar bone."

"So, she'll be alright?" Miguel asked hopefully.

"Well, it's hard to say."

"What does that mean exactly?" Pilar asked.

"Theresa's sleeping right now and it's too soon to tell if she has any permanent damage."

"Permanent damage!"

"Yes, it's possible that she might have brain damage."

"Brain damage! Dios mio!" Pilar exclaimed. "I don't understand."

"Yeah, what's going on here?" Luis asked quickly.

"Yes. Your daughter was without oxygen for several minutes. But like I said, it's too soon to tell."

There was silence. Then:

"Can we see her?" Miguel said.

"Yes, I think that'd be fine," Dr. Callahan gave in.

Everyone walked into Theresa's room except for Ethan. Her room smelled of hospital food and the sound of beeping machines filled their ears. Immediately, Pilar went over and took Theresa's hand.

Outside Theresa's room, Ethan pulled Dr. Callahan a side. "Doc, I want the truth." The doctor looked at him silently, trying to avoid answering. "There's something you're not telling us. What is it?" The doctor looked down, away from Ethan's eyes. "Please, I have to know."

"Alright," he said hesitantly. He pulled Ethan aside, well out of earshot of the family inside of Theresa's room. "She's in a coma."

"What!" Ethan couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"We didn't want to alarm the family. We were hoping that she would wake up soon. If not, then I'll tell the family."

"But… how…?"

"Well, you heard. She was without oxygen for a while. Then plus the added concussion and the head injury. It's amazing that she didn't die."

Ethan was in shock. This couldn't be happening. Not to Theresa. "But… um… but she will wake up… won't she?"

"I am sorry. But, like I said, it is too soon to tell. Her heart tissue is very weak. The only thing keeping her heart going is the life support."

Tears glazed in Ethan's eyes. "But.. there has to be something you can do."

"I am sorry," he repeated before walking away, leaving Ethan alone with the tears that he couldn't stop anymore.

* * *

Immediately after Ethan learned of Theresa's true condition, he rushed over to the nearest library and got online, hoping against hope that he would find something that could help save Theresa's life. 

At the library, Ethan found nothing. No new medical research had been done and nothing had been found as a way to help patients out of comas. All one could do was pray, or so many articles had said.

So, that's it then.

There's no hope.

Ethan's head was pounding and he was making every effort to maintain himself, but his shield was weakening, he didn't know how much longer he could deal.

Unknowingly, Ethan had spent much longer than he had originally planned at the library. Hours had passed, and still Ethan could find nothing. He looked up hundreds of different medical articles. Nothing useful. Suddenly, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

Ethan took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. The caller ID said it was Fox calling. Ethan put the phone to his ear and responded. "Hey, Fox. What's up?"

--Hey, listen-

"Hold on, I'm in a library, give me a sec." Ethan shut down the computer he was working at and headed out of the building as to not disrupt other people trying to read. "Okay. Yeah…"

--Hey, listen, Ethan, maybe you should come down here.

"Did she wake up?"

--Not exactly…

Ethan could hear the sound of sobs in the background. If he had to guess, they would have been coming from Pilar. "Well, is she alright? What's the matter?"

--Why don't you get down here, I'll explain it to you then.

"But-" But it was too late. Fox had already hung up.

* * *

As quickly as Ethan had rushed to the library from the hospital earlier that day, he was now rushing back at an even faster pace. 

Back at the hospital, Ethan raced through hallways and felt anxious going up the eleven floors in the elevator. When he finally reached Theresa's floor, he ran out of the elevator and to the waiting room where he knew he would find Fox and the others.

Almost crashing into a doctor and more than one nurse on his way, Ethan finally made it to the waiting area, breathless.

"Ethan, it's about time," Fox greeted.

"What's going on? Is she alright?"

Just one look from Pilar's face was enough to tell him otherwise. Her eyes were red and wet with tears, as were others around him. The doctor was standing there as well, he, too, was speechless.

"No, Ethan. She's not alright. Theresa…. Theresa… My Theresa, my little girl…" Pilar could no longer get the words out. Her hand covered her mouth at her inability to speak.

"It's even more serious than we thought. She's in a coma, Ethan….," Whitney spoke softly.

"No, it's worse than that," Luis ventured in. "The doctor is saying that she most likely won't wake up."

Ethan could feel tears born in his eyes yet again. "But… Are you… Um…" Ethan tried the best he could to hide his tears, but nothing he did could stop them from coming. "Can't you do something… anything?"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Callahan said apologetically. "We've run some more tests and based on past experiences, she probably won't wake up. There is nothing more that we can do for Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald. Nothing. All we can do now is pray and hope for the best."

Pilar took a moment to compose herself. "That's right." She took her sons' hands. "We all need to have faith in the Lord. May He hear our prayers and make Theresa well."

A moment of utter silence swept over all of them and then finally the doctor spoke the words that no wished to hear.

"Well, it's good to see that you are all religious. Perhaps it is time to call a priest. I think it best if Theresa was given her last rites. Just in case…"

All were stunned to hear that the doctor seemed to have given up hope in Theresa's recovery.

"So you're just giving up on her!" Luis screamed.

"No, no, no, of course not. My team and I are going to continue to do everything possible to help your sister, but I must warn you of how serious and critical her condition is. All I'm doing is advising the help of a priest in this matter. That's all."

"Luis, he's right," Pilar said, stepping in between both him and the doctor. "We should call a priest to help us pray in this time of great need." She turned back to the others there. "Will one of you go and find the priest, please?"

"Sure, I'll go, Mrs. L-F," Chad volunteered.

"I'll go with you, Chad," Whitney said.

"Thank you, both. I'm going to go be with Theresa."

The doctor butt in again. "I'm sorry, but there is another matter of the more."

"Sorry?" Fox tried.

"Well, in the event that Theresa doesn't wake up soon…."

"Yes…?"

"Well, this is difficult to say…," Dr. Callahan hesitated. "In the event that she doesn't wake up… There is no way to say this delicately, so I'll just come out and say it." Everyone waited impatiently when he paused, the tension building. "Well… Theresa is on life support… and if she doesn't wake up…."

"Hold on, hold on," Fox said losing his temper. "I think I know what you're trying to say. You want to know, if she doesn't wake up, if we'll agree to pull the plug on Theresa!"

"What!" Luis screamed.

"Now-" the doctor tried to explain but Luis' anger cut him off.

"There is no way in hell that I will let you kill my sister!"

"No, absolutely not! Theresa will wake up!" Ethan would never be able to let her go. Not ever.

"I'm not saying that I _want_ to. All I'm saying is that if she doesn't wake up, this is your decision. Sometimes patients can be in comas for many years, decades. And still some don't wake up. All I'm trying to do is save you any more heartache than you have suffered already."

"He's right," Pilar said softly making the room of people stare at her. "But for now, Luis, we just need to pray. We need to have faith that God will make Theresa better. He can't take her from us. Not now. She has so much to live for."

"Yes, well, I just want you to know that we are going to continue to do everything possible for Theresa. With any luck, she'll pull through without any complications." Dr. Callahan left them with that and walked away from them again.

"Um, Pilar…," Ethan whispered to her. "Should I call Harmony and get Little Ethan out here?"

"No, he's at the Crane apartment. He's staying there with Sheridan and Antonio."

"Antonio? Shouldn't he be here?"

"He didn't want to leave Sheridan, and besides, I don't think he's forgiven any of us for believing that Sheridan would pick Luis over him. I think he still may hold that against us all."

"Do you think I should go get Little Ethan? He should be here, don't you think?"

"Yes, you're right. But, I'll call Sheridan and ask her to bring him by."

"Oh, that's alright. You go and see Theresa. I'll call Sheridan."

* * *

Ethan got off the phone with Sheridan and turned to Fox. "That was Sheridan. Little Ethan is napping. But she said that she would bring him as soon as he wakes up." 

"Don't you think he's a little young to see his mom like this?"

"Fox, she's his mother. If he's not going to see her anymore, he should at least get to say goodbye."

"I know, I'm just saying… But still, do you really think that Theresa could… you know…"

"I don't know what to think. I just can't except that I'll lose her…"

"Just like Pilar said, we have to have faith."

Just then, Chad and Whitney emerged from an elevator following a priest by the name of Rev. Matthews. He wore a black robe and a purple sash around his neck-- the color of forgiveness, the color priests always wore when giving last rites. It was at that very moment that it had finally hit Ethan.

Theresa was being given her last rites. Theresa was dying… Theresa was going to leave him forever… And there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was out of his grasp now. It was all in God's hands now.

"Hello," Reverend Matthews greeted. "I'm here to give last rites to a Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald…"

"Yes, this way please." Fox led the way to Theresa's room where her mother and brothers waited. Whitney, Chad, and Fox went to join them, but Ethan stayed behind. For some reason he couldn't grasp what was happening before his very eyes. He couldn't accept that Theresa, his Theresa, was dying, she was being given her last rites.

And yet, here he stood, watching as if an onlooker in a movie theatre. This all seemed to be a dream. None of this was real. He was sure that any minute now he would wake up and find that he was sleeping in his bed, back in Harmony, next to Gwen. He would know that Theresa was at her own house, sleeping soundly. Little Ethan would be safe, his mother's life wouldn't be in jeopardy at this very moment.

Ethan closed his eyes and tried opening them again to see if he would open his eyes to the sight of his bedroom at the mansion. It was no use. He was still in the hospital and he watched as the priest walked into Theresa's room and began. Pilar seemed to lose ground and needed Luis' support to keep her standing on her own two feet.

* * *

By the time the priest finished giving Theresa her last rites, everyone was in tears. 

"I'm very sorry," Rev. Matthews said in an apologetic tone. "I will pray for this young lady and ask God to make her well, and if not, deliver her safely into His hands in heaven."

"Thank you, father." Pilar nodded at him thankfully.

Rev. Matthews turned to Theresa and took her hand. "My prayers are with you, child." He stared at her for a moment longer and left quietly, giving the family the time they needed.

Pilar and the others went to her bedside and said nothing for a long while.

"Um… Pilar…" Pilar turned to look at Ethan. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna go for a walk and stop by and see Gwen for a bit."

"Okay, Ethan. Thank you for being here."

"Where else would I be?"

"I'll go with you," Fox offered.

"No, no, it's alright. I'll go alone. I'll be back soon. You'll call me if there's any change?"

"Course."

When Ethan left the room, Whitney left Chad's side and went over to Fox. "Wow," she whispered. "Ethan's taking this really hard."

"Yeah. But could you blame the guy? He and Theresa go way back."

"I know, I was there for it all. I mean, Fox, I watched them fall in love. I know how much he loved her-" she caught herself. "Still does."

Fox stared at her for a moment, trying to imagine the pain that Ethan was agonizing over. He shook his head softly. "Only to lose her at the hand of his wife."

"I still can't believe it. How could Gwen just attack Theresa and try to kill her?"

"Whitney.. C'mon. You know how Gwen gets when Theresa pushes her buttons."

"I know, but I still don't understand how she knew that Theresa was out here in L.A. And then, why did she leave the hospital?"

"Don't know. I left her at the police station before they questioned her and filled me in on any details."

"Oh, poor Ethan. What must be going through his mind right now." A statement.

"I can't even imagine. Your wife killing the woman that you love more than life itself… I don't know what I'd do if I was in that position…" They were silent for a moment. "But then, I don't think I'd ever be in this same position."

"And how can you assume that?" Whitney inquired.

"Well, because I wouldn't marry a woman if I was completely head-over-heels in love with someone else. I mean, I understand why Ethan married Gwen. I know how important it is to him to be a good father and a good husband. But still, how can he expect to just ignore his heart for the rest of his life to do 'the right thing?' It was going to catch up to him sooner or later. And it looks like that time was up. I mean, look at what happened here. A couple days ago, Ethan and Theresa were more than 3,000 miles apart, and then somehow they ended up in the same bed and almost made love. That kind of thing doesn't happen everyday. And Ethan can deny it from here to China, but I know how much he still loves her."

"I know he does too. I can see it in the way that he looks at Theresa. I mean, did you see how he refused to leave the hospital last night just to be close to her? I just wish that'd he admit it. Maybe it doesn't realize it, but I think it would have saved him, Theresa, and Gwen a lot of heartache if he had just been honest."

"Yeah…"

"But, it looks like he's gonna be alone now. Gwen is going to go to prison. I mean, she tried to kill a person…" Whitney looked over at Theresa lying in the bed. "She probably succeeded…" Again tears wedged themselves inside of Whitney's eyes.

Fox looked down at Whitney. "Hey…"

Whitney shook her head and tried to hide her tears. "I'm sorry. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand."

"She's the very best friend I've ever had, Fox. I don't know how I'm going to live without her." And with that, Whitney fell into Fox's arms, crying into his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Somehow Ethan managed to drive himself to the police station, even with his eyes filled with the tears that never seemed to stop.

He pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car. Slowly, he walked to the front door, all the while trying in vain to stop his tears and to make his eyes less red.

Ethan walked into the police station, practically looking down.

"Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?" A man with a badge that said Officer Bryant said.

"Yes, my wife…. my wife, Gwen Winthrop, was brought in yesterday…"

"Hey, Ernie!" he yelled across the room to another man behind a desk.

The man who answered to the name Ernie turned around. "Yeah!"

"Do you know a Gwen Winthrop?"

"Oh yeah…," Ernie said with a chuckle. "That's John's pitbull over there!" he said as he pointed to a room where Ethan saw Gwen sitting in a chair, her arms where held down by a man. Another man seemed to be asking her questions."

Officer Bryant laughed. "That's your wife?" Ethan nodded quietly. "She's quite a pistol. She's been giving us problems all night."

"Maybe I should talk to her."

"Sir, do you know why your wife is here?" Ethan nodded again. "Then where were you yesterday?"

"I was at the hospital with Theresa- the woman that Gwen attacked."

"Oh, I see. So you were a witness?"

"Sort of."

"Well, I'm going to need a statement, Mr….?"

"Winthrop."

"Your… brother…?"

"Half-brother," Ethan corrected.

"Yes, he gave a little information." Officer Bryant pulled out a file folder from a stack of papers on his desk and flipped it open. "Now, it says here that you two heard a noise from upstairs, so you went out to the hall to get the elevator. And quote, "The damned thing didn't work." So you ran down the stairs. At which point you both found Mrs. Winthrop on top of the victim, and quote, "She was going nuts and she looked like a mad man.", trying to drown her. Your broth-, sorry, half-brother, said that you pulled her off of the victim-"

"Theresa," Ethan said firmly.

"Sorry?"

"Her name is Theresa."

"Yes, thank you. Anyways, to continue, you pulled your wife off of Theresa, and your half-brother tended to Theresa. Once he learned that she wasn't breathing, you went to her and began to perform CPR. Your half-brother called 9-1-1 and minutes later they came in and took Theresa to the hospital. Your wife was brought here. Is that pretty much the story?"

Ethan was still looking down and answered slowly. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"Excellent! Now we don't have to file another report. We can just use this one. Great. Perfect." He put the file away in the mess of papers on his desk again. "Now, did you want to see your wife?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, from what she's been saying, I don't think she wants to see you."

"What is she saying?"

"Man, you'd think you were living in a soap opera! She says that this Theresa girl flew out here to stalk you and try to take you away from her or something. Then she continued to seduce you on some beach where you were recorded for all of L.A. to see. So she went to the apartment to confront the both of you when Theresa pushed Gwen, knowing that she was having a complicated pregnancy and Gwen was just defending herself. Now, if this story is true, then you can press charges on this Theresa person for stalking as can your wife for battery."

"That's not true," Ethan said shaking his head.

"Oooh, I want to hear this." He took a seat and seemed to be enjoying the very screwed up story.

"Theresa didn't follow me out here. I know that for a fact. It was just a coincidence. She didn't seduce me, it was actually my fault."

"That's what I thought. How can a guy get out of cheating on his wife? It's always his fault."

"It's not that. Theresa and I go way back. I loved her before I married Gwen. I was going to marry her. Twice actually."

"So why didn't you?"

"Well, Theresa was sentenced to death-"

"WHAT!" Officer Bryant almost chocked.

"But she was innocent. She falsely admitted to the crime because she thought I did it. It later came out that it wasn't me. But she was 'put to death.' It was a hoax by her son's grandfather. At the time, I really thought Theresa was dead. It was horrible. I loved her very much and I was grieving. That night, I was very vulnerable, and I-"

"Let me guess. Shook up the sac with Missy Blonde Attitude?"

"I wouldn't have used those exact words… but yes."

"Yep… No wonder I'm a cop."

"Anyways, Theresa and I started bonding again, and we became as close as we once were. I decided that I was going to propose to either Gwen or Theresa. I pondered the question of who for hours. Then it finally hit me that I always knew the answer. It was Theresa. I loved her. I was going to propose to her. Then Gwen found out she was pregnant, and offered to raise the child alone and move away so that I could be with Theresa. That thought was very tempting, but I couldn't be selfish. So, I ended up proposing to Gwen. I married her last December. Unfortunately, Gwen started having a very difficult pregnancy. She was under a lot of stress, mainly because of Theresa. Her doctor, back in Harmony, told us about a prenatal specialist out here in L.A. So we flew out to see him and hoped that he would be able to help. I know Theresa didn't follow us out here, because she couldn't have known that we were coming out. It was a spur of the moment thing. She came out here to visit with some friends, and luck would have it that we wound up staying at the same place, and in the same bed no less."

"You don't waste any time do you?"

"It wasn't like that. I didn't know she was in the bed. But one thing led to another…"

"Man, no wonder your wife doesn't want to talk to you."

"We didn't sleep together, we almost did, but it's only because we were sleeping. We both thought we were dreaming."

"Uh huh… Sure… If I had a nickel for every time I accidentally got into bed with a woman and began making love to her because we were sleeping…. I'd have… a nickel…" He shrugged it off. "Whatever, it's like you're all living in a soap opera world. It sounds like this soap that my wife is always talking about. Passions or something. You three remind me of Eric, Lindsay, and Liza. 'Daytime's hottest triangle.' You know, Lindsay loves Eric, Eric's married to Liza but loves Lindsay, Liza wants to kill Lindsay, the whole shpeel. The only question is, 'How long will Eric be able to resist Lindsay? Stay tuned… NBC Daytime.'"

They were silent for a long while. "Can I see my wife now?"

"Hold on, let me check."

The officer went towards the room with the two-way mirror where Gwen sat. He stuck his head through the window. He stepped out and walked back towards Ethan.

"You can see her now."

"Thanks." Ethan walked past Officer Bryant and to the room where Gwen was.

"Oh yeah, hold on." Ethan turned back to him. "I forgot to ask you. What ever happened to Theresa? Is she alright?"

"Um…she's um…she's not doing so well…"

"Really? Well, in how bad of a shape is she?"

"Well, she's um… she's in a coma," Ethan admitted.

"Oh, my God. Well, this really does change things a bit. If Theresa doesn't wake up, your wife can be charged with murder one."

"I know. Fox told me."

"That's a very serious charge."

Ethan acted as if he didn't hear what he had just heard. "Can I see my wife now?"

"Yeah, sure."

Ethan walked into the room and other officers walked out.

Gwen looked up suddenly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Gwen, you're my wife. I care about you."

"Oh please," Gwen scoffed. "If you cared about me, you wouldn't have been sharing saliva with Theresa on the beach while I was in the hospital, doing my best to keep myself calm so that I could deliver your healthy, happy baby! If you cared about me, you would have stayed away from her, Ethan! But you didn't. How dare you say that you care about me!"

Gwen stood from the chair and was ready to charge again. The officers came crashing through the door and sat her down.

"Is there a problem here?" one of the officers asked.

"Yes, my husband doesn't know the meaning of fidelity. He can't keep his damn pants on!"

"Gwen, listen to me-" Ethan tried.

"No, you listen to me!" she said as she pointed her finger at him. "Go and be with Theresa, okay! Go! I set you free! I don't want you in my life anymore! I don't want you in my child's life! Just leave!"

"Gwen, please-"

"NO! Theresa won, okay! You can go tell her that! She's probably standing right outside, isn't she? I'm sure she's jumping for joy, Ethan! She can have you! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"

"Theresa's not outside, Gwen. She's in the hospital."

"Oh, damn it! I was hoping I'd put her in a funeral home, but of course, she rose from the ashes, just like she always does."

"Gwen, actually… you might have killed her…"

Gwen stopped and looked up at Ethan with a strange look on her face. "What?"

"Theresa's in a coma, Gwen. The doctor says she probably won't wake up."

Gwen sat still for a moment. Then suddenly: "Could I have a moment alone with my husband?" Gwen asked the officer.

"I don't know…"

"Please, I promise I'll be a good girl."

The officer nodded and he and the other officers left the room. Gwen ran from her seat over to Ethan, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him forcefully. Ethan pulled back, hardly in the mood for this.

"Gwen, Gwen, Gwen. What are you doing?"

"Oh, honey! Do you know what this means! Theresa will finally be out of our lives for good! We can go on as life intended! This is the best possible news, Ethan! Finally, finally, you, me, and our baby can be a happy family without any outside forces, like Theresa, intruding! Oh, Ethan, we're saved!" she said kissing him again.

This time Ethan pulled back and made sure that he was far enough away from Gwen. His eyes were filled with tears. "SAVED! How could you say something like that, Gwen! You may have killed her and you're celebrating! What's the matter with you! I can't believe what a monster you are. You almost killed a woman, and at the prospect of her dying, you jump for joy!"

"Ethan, how can you not be happy about this! Theresa will be out of our lives forever!" Gwen stood staring at Ethan and he stared right back, shaking his head while tears spilled quietly from his eyes. "You don't want her out of our lives forever, do you? You're still in love with her, aren't you! I don't fkin' believe this, Ethan! She chases you out to L.A., tries to steal you away from me, on more than one occasion, seduces you while your pregnant wife is lying in a hospital bed, and you're still in love with her! I don't believe this!"

"It doesn't matter, Gwen. Whether she lives or dies, you will never be a free woman… ever."

"Oh, please. Like a jury is actually going to convict me! I'm pregnant, Ethan. She attacked _me_."

"Not from where Fox and I were standing. Defending yourself is one thing, Gwen. But you had full control and you were trying to kill her! I will testify against you, if I have to."

"And you're the lawyer." she laughed. "Don't you know that husbands can't testify against their wives?"

Ethan didn't know what to say. "It doesn't matter. Fox will testify against you, and because I was there, I will most likely get that opportunity."

"Ethan, you don't know-" Gwen stopped speaking when Ethan's cell phone rang in his pocket. Ethan took it from his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Hello? Fox, what's going on? How she doing?" Ethan listened as Fox responded. "What! Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I- I'll be right there. Give me about ten minutes. Okay. Bye."

"What's the matter? Did something happen to Theresa? Is she alright?"

"Why should I tell you? You seemed pretty happy to be getting rid of her, why would you care if she was alright?"

"Ethan, I-"

Ethan stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "No, okay. You might just get your wish. Theresa might die."

"What, what hap-"

"Fox said the doctor is trying to take her off of life support without Pilar's consent."

"But, they have-"

"Would you just stop pretending to care already! You killed her, Gwen! YOU KILLED HER!"

Gwen didn't know what to say. She stood silent and afraid. "You know, I just don't understand. What happened to that girl that I fell in love with? What happened to the person that taught me so much about life?"

Gwen looked down. "That girl is gone. She died a long time ago. Do you remember when? It was when Theresa snaked herself into our lives and ruined everything that we could have had, Ethan! That's when. It was when you allowed her to trick you into loving her. It was when that monster stole you away from me."

"Stole? Let's get something straight right now. Theresa never stole me, Gwen. She's always had me one way or the other. Theresa isn't like you, Gwen. She doesn't care about winning. If she knew that I genuinely didn't have feelings for her, she would leave me alone. But because she knows that I cared for her she won't give up. I couldn't help falling in love with her years ago, that was no one's fault. She didn't make some pact with the devil to take me from you, Gwen. It just happened. I chose her because I wanted to. Not because she made me. I'm not some prize that you can just play tug-of-war with, Gwen. I'm a human being. Did you ever stop and consider that I really did love Theresa? That I wanted to be with her over you? We share something very special, Gwen. But Theresa and I share something even more amazing. It's a love that you can feel without saying a word. It's something deep and whole. Something that I've always known that I didn't have with you, but all my life I've been told I did. But I've always known from day one, ever since I met Theresa, that there was something there that I've never had. It was real, it was true, and it was love. It was love, Gwen. Real, true, passionate love that you stole from us. I don't have the proof, Gwen, but I'm with Theresa when she says that she believes that you and your mother had something to do with framing her for sending that email to the tabloid. You remember? The event that sent Theresa's and my relationship spiraling downward on a never-ending fall. And what a coincidence, it happened to be the same event that led me back to you. How interesting. And now, look what's happened, Gwen. Just because you can't stand losing, even when you have that ring on your finger, you try to kill her. No, Gwen, I think you're the monster. I've just been too blind to see it all this time. And, after all of what has happened to lead me to this point, I'm losing Theresa. At your hand, Gwen. How will I ever survive without her? The answer is simple. I won't. I can't. And Gwen, you swore in a church, before our friends and family, before God to be a good wife. You swore to love, honor, and respect me. Well, it looks like you lied, doesn't it, Gwen? You haven't been a good wife because you haven't honored or respected me. You've treated me like a child and have made it out to seem that I'm just some person oblivious to everything that happens around him. Well, you know what," Ethan said, putting up his left hand and pointing to his ring. "I guess I don't need this since our marriage wasn't true anyway. Theresa was right. I've never really been married to you. In my heart, I've always been married to her. I promised before God that I would love, honor, respect, obey, and cherish the woman that I love. That's her, Gwen. And I've betrayed her. I betrayed my heart when I asked you to marry me and I betray her now by not being at her side when she needs me most. Well, you know what?" Ethan slipped the ring off of his finger and threw it at Gwen. "You can have this! I don't need it anymore."

Gwen was in tears. "Ethan, wait. Please-"

"Give me the rings." Gwen looked down at her left hand at her ring finger. "Gwen…" Sorrowfully, Gwen slipped them off her finger and handed them to him.

"Ethan, please, we can-"

"No, first thing tomorrow, I'm filing for a divorce. Maybe someone in prison will be able to put up with you. Because I sure as hell can't."

Ethan knocked on the door and someone opened it for him. He led himself out of the police station and out of Gwen's life. He was free….

Now he only need to get to Theresa.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ethan raced to the hospital for the second time today. Again he rushed up to the fourth floor and almost ran into a wheelchair. Finally, getting to the waiting area nearest Theresa's room, he could see that there was something terribly wrong.

Fox saw Ethan coming towards the huddled group of Theresa's friends and family and went over to him. "Hey, Fox. What's going on?" Ethan asked.

"The doctor's taking her off life support."

"Why? I don't understand."

"He won't really explain. He just keeps saying that it's useless and pointless."

Ethan went over and saw Pilar speaking to a doctor he had never seen before. "…she is in a very critical condition-" he heard the unfamiliar doctor explain.

"Excuse me. What's going on here?" Ethan demanded.

"Sorry, and you are?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. Who the hell are you thinking that you can just take her off life support!"

"I'm the in house neurologist."

"And that gives you the right to kill someone!"

"I'm not killing anyone, sir. She's practically dead already."

Ethan was ready to lunge forward but Luis' strong hands restrained him.

"Look, sir, we've done all we can do. We've run tests and have looked over past experience notes. Everything leads us to one conclusion. She will not wake up. It's just a waste of all of your time here to continue with her on life support."

"At least she'll be alive!" Luis yelled at him.

"Yes, she'll be alive, but in the vaguest sense of the word. It's like if you had a car that didn't run, but the only way to keep the engine running is if you always had gas being pumped in. You would need to leave the car at the gas station all the time. And clearly, you can't drive it if it's always at the gas station." Luis was silent. "It's the same thing here, sir. In a way it's cruel to your sister. I understand that she is your family and you don't want to let her go. But you can't be selfish, not like this. This is a human life, sir. You have to let her move on. Modern medicine has done all it has the ability to. This is as far as it can take her, and as you can see, it hasn't helped. Clearly, this is her time... Whether you accept it or not."

The words hit everyone like a ton of bricks as Dr. Callahan approached. "I have to agree with Dr. Madigan." Everyone turned to face him. "It is our very strong expert opinion that you take her off now. We will have to insist."

Everyone was silent, all expected someone to say what they were all thinking. Pilar looked down at the floor, yet prayed to above for guidance in her decision. Finally, she nodded and looked up. "Okay," Everyone turned to face her, stunned. "Alright, we have no choice."

"Mama, you can't be serious. You can't just allow them to kill her."

Pilar put her hand up as she was losing her patience. "Luis, he's right. We can't keep Theresa here like a vegetable. She should be able to move on. It's only right."

"But, Mama-" Miguel tried to dissuade her.

"No, Miguel. He's right. We can't be selfish." She turned back to the doctor. "Okay… you have my permission." The lump in her throat wasn't easily missed.

The doctor gave a hesitant smile, turned, and walked to Theresa's room. The friends and family followed and held their breath and prepared themselves for their last goodbyes. Everyone watched as the doctor went over to the machine near Theresa's bed and pressed a button. A red light started to flash and he reached for a cord.

"Wait," Pilar said suddenly and the doctor turned and eyed her curiously. "Can we have a moment, please? I would like to say goodbye to my daughter if you don't mind." She was trying as hard as she could to keep her tears at bay; trying to stay strong for her sons… for her daughter. Theresa had always said that no matter what, Pilar was always the one that was strong. She was always the one that kept the family together whenever it was in peril. And Pilar would be strong now. Now that her daughter needed her more than ever. She would be there for her daughter. She would be that person that Theresa had admired so much.

"Of course," Dr. Madigan agreed. "I'll, uh, I'll be right outside."

Luis looked like he wanted to punch him as the doctor walked past him and out of the room. As soon as the doctor left, Pilar slowly walked towards her daughter and took her hand. Even though the years had made Theresa taller than her mother, her hand always fit perfectly into her mother's.

"Theresa- Theresa, I know you can hear me." She smiled and let out a hesitant laugh. "Just as stubborn as you always were. I remember when you were a little girl, I had to call you more than ten times to get you to come down to dinner."

Luis and Miguel both smiled as they remembered their sister and walked over to their mother. "Yeah," Luis began softly, "you were the hopeless romantic of the family. I remember when I told her repeatedly to stay away from Ethan. But she didn't listen. No, you chased after Ethan instead and insisted that he loved you. Well, you were right, sis. You were right…" Luis trailed off with watery eyes as he turned them in Ethan's direction.

"I, uh, I don't really know what to say." Miguel paused trying to maintain his composure as the impact of the situation hit him. "You were always my favorite person. Always telling me not to worry what my life would be, because Fate would always take me where I was supposed to go; all I had to do was trust in it. You're my big sister, Theresa. You taught me so much about life, love, and the meaning of it all. I just want to say thank you. I will always take you with me." Miguel stopped in an attempt to dry his tears. "Always…"

"Theresa, we love you," Pilar said tracing circles on Theresa's hand. "None of our lives would be the same without you. Without you, I wouldn't have so many gray hairs. Without you I wouldn't know how to make pancakes-- your favorite. You've made my blood pressure go through the roof these past couple of years with all of your crazy hair-brain schemes. But that doesn't matter now. We need you here." Pilar stopped, gathering her thoughts. "But, for some reason that I don't understand yet, God has decided that it's time for you to go back to His kingdom where you fly above us all as the angel you are. I love you, mija. I always will." Pilar covered her mouth and let the tars fall from her eyes again. She stepped back and allowed people to go forward. Whitney was the first one.

"Hey, girl." She said wiping her tears. "Um, what to say? I don't know." She offered a sad smile. "You know, this is the first time that I can't think of anything to say to you. Ever since I met you in kindergarten, I was always telling you what a bad idea it was, or something along the lines of 'Are you crazy!' But not today. This isn't a scheme, this isn't a joke, this isn't a game, Theresa. This is real. And I can't think of one thing to say to you. You've been my best friend for almost two decades. I can't even imagine how to go on without you. I won't be able to… I love you, Theresa. Remember that pact we made when we were in fifth grade? You said that we would be best friends forever… And we will be… Forever…." Whitney took Theresa's hand, brought it to her mouth and kissed it. Her tears seemed unstoppable as she got up and left Theresa's side, practically hysterical.

Chad was next. "Hey, T-Lo. You've been a real adventure, girl. Let me be the first to tell you that it hasn't been easy knowing you. You were always getting into trouble. But, above it all, you are my friend. You believed in Whitney and me when no one else would, including Whitney. You told us that we would be together, whether we liked it or not. You've always been there for me, and I wish you could be here for me forever. But sometimes things don't turn out the way that you want them to. It's hard to just let you go. But, we all have to believe that we'll meet again. And when we do, trust me, we're gonna party all night long, girl. I'll be the DJ." Chad laughed slightly, trying to lighten the intense moment that he seemed to be drowning in. "I'm gonna miss you, girl. We love you."

No one moved after Chad got up. "Fox?" Pilar said turning to him. "Would you like to say something?"

Unknowingly, Fox's tears were pouring onto his cheeks. "Um, yeah, sure." It took him a moment to actually move his feet but he eventually made his way to Theresa's side. "Theresa, um, this isn't easy. How can I say goodbye to you? You're the best friend I've ever had. I still remember those late night talks we used to have in your room when you were living at the mansion. It seemed like you were the only person to ever understand me. You knew me from the inside out and you could relate to everything that I ever told you. You never judged me and believe it or not, you're the first person to do that. You know, I'd give anything to have just one more of those heart-to-hearts again." Fox stopped, not knowing what else to say. "Um, I- I'm gonna miss you, Theresa. More than you know. But, make sure you reserve a seat for me up there, got it? If I say that I'm a friend of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, then they'll have to let me into the pearly gates, right? You're the best, Theresa. I'll miss you everyday of my life." Finally, Fox couldn't take it anymore, and got up, a little more than teary eyed.

Finally, it was the one goodbye that they were all dreading. Everyone knew a goodbye from this person would be more than they could take… And then, Ethan walked to Theresa and took her hand in his.

"Um…," he began, clearing his throat. "What can I say? Theresa, you changed my life, more than once and in many more ways than one. Actually, you were like a hurricane that ripped through my orderly life. But you were the one storm that I didn't mind. I couldn't deny my feelings for you then and I can't do it now." He stopped to compose himself. "I don't-- I don't know what to do now. I'm trying not panic here. It, uh, it just feels like I'm losing you all over again. You were right, Theresa. You were right when you said that Fate would bring us back together. I couldn't fight it anymore, and as much I wanted to, I couldn't stay away from you. Something was always pulling us together, not pushing us apart as I once thought. I'm just sorry that I didn't listen to you. And I blame myself for everything that's happened. God, I'm sorry, Theresa. It's my fault that you're here. I'm the reason that you and Gwen fought. I'm always the reason. I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry that it took me this long to finally realize how much you mean to me. I didn't want to listen to my heart when it was screaming inside of me. I never looked deep enough because I was terrified that if I did, that I would see something that I shouldn't. I was afraid of seeing your face there when I should be seeing Gwen's. But now, I'm not scared to look anymore. I have and all I see is you, Theresa. I love you, Theresa. More than you'll ever know. I've always felt alone without you, but now I know why. It's because you are a part of me. You have a part of my heart, and you've had it since that day you spilled paint on me. You have it still. You always will, Theresa. I will never love anyone like I loved you. When you said that it would be impossible to erase me from your life, from your heart, you said that it would impossible because there would be nothing left. And I never realized it until now, Theresa. I feel the same. I can't say goodbye to you, because if I did, there would be no reason to live anymore. If I could have one wish, one thing to do over, it would be our wedding. If I hadn't let you run from the alter, we would be married right now, regardless of what other people said. We would be together right now, none of this would ever have happened. We would be living that life that we always dreamed and talked about." Ethan stopped again and looked down, trying to hide his tears from everyone around him. "It's strange, I never understood the saying, 'Emptiness engulfs those who have lost', until this moment. I feel empty, I feel lost… and alone. It seems like the world has just fallen from beneath me. You know, it's not fair. There are hundreds and hundreds of people in this hospital, all going about their daily lives. Some are welcoming a new son or daughter into this world, some are smiling, some are sleeping, some are sad. But none know what, we, here in this room, are going through at this very moment. Many in this hospital are fighting for their lives. Many are trying to hang onto that last bit of life. But, it's not fair, you don't have that choice! I might as well be one of the other patients on their death beds. I can't go on without you. I can't live without you, Theresa. I can't even begin to explain how loud my heart is screaming right now. I can't even begin to put into words what I'm feeling right now. I need you, Theresa." He paused again and stared at her motionless body. His fingers tried to wipe away the tears but he couldn't keep up with the rapid falling of salt water. "One day, Fate will bring us back together, just like you always said it would. But, I'll think of you, Theresa. I'll think of you when I see snow. I'll remember our first snowball fight. When I see someone smile, I'll think of you because I'll know that yours was prettier. When I go to the beach, I'll remember the night we made love and I'll think of you. When I see Little Ethan, I'll think of you. I'll see you looking out through his eyes." That was it. That was the one instant where things seemed much worse than they already were. People were so caught up in their own grief, they didn't stop to think of what this was going to do to her son. "I can't say goodbye to you, Theresa. But I can say I love you. I always will, Theresa. Always..." Finally, Ethan's heart-wrenching speech was over. And he finalized it in a way that no one would soon forget.

Ethan kissed her then. The tears from his eyes wet Theresa's face. He could never have imagined that kissing Theresa could hurt so bad. It was the one time that when he kissed her that she didn't kiss back. There was no spark, no fire… Nothing. The kiss felt as empty as Ethan's heart did. But, nonetheless, Ethan couldn't stop himself from doing it again. He kissed Theresa's lips again… for the very last time.

When Ethan turned around everyone was in unstoppable tears. He let out a hard breath and tried with everything he had left in him to control himself.

Suddenly, Pilar left the room. When she returned, Dr. Madigan followed her. He stopped before them all. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I've been through this kind of thing many times, and never before have I seen so many people who were truly touched by one person. She's really lucky to have all of you care for her so much."

"We were the lucky ones," Ethan whispered, never taking his eyes from her.

The doctor shot a strange glance at Ethan and proceeded. Again, he went to the machine next to Theresa's bed. He bent down, grabbed the cord, and turned back to everyone. Everyone's eyes we drawn to the screen that showed Theresa's heart rate. The spikes were coming in rhythmic paces. Again, the doctor looked down and grabbed the cord taut. Whitney closed her eyes and fell into Fox as he wrapped his arms around her. Dr. Madigan pulled the cord out of the socket, a loud beep filled the room, and the spikes turned into a silent, straight line…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dr. Madigan pulled the cord out of the socket, a loud beep filled the room, and the spikes turned into a silent, straight line…

Pilar looked as if she was going to fall as she had just witnessed her daughter's last few moments on Earth. It was more painful that she would bare. She needed Luis to keep her balance and finally, she fell into his arms as she let her walls fall.

No one could bare hearing the ongoing sound of the alarm on the machine that controlled her heart beat. No one could look on as they saw that the flat line before them finalized what they didn't want to accept.

Whitney was hysterical. She tried to mute her voice in Fox's shoulder, but it was in vain. Pilar seemed like she wanted to faint and Theresa's brothers seemed lost. They didn't know what to do or where to look. Fox, Chad, and Ethan were just as confused. They all realized that they couldn't stand to be in this room any more and they all turned to leave.

Just as they were leaving, the doctor included, they heard a beep. At first they all ignored it and continued on their way out, but then… they heard another beep… then another… then another. Everyone finally turned to see what was making the noise.

"I don't believe it," Miguel sighed.

They all looked back at Theresa and scanned the machines when they realized there was something different about one of the machines. In particular, the heart monitor. The line was no longer flat. A spike went up. But it returned to its line state. Then another spike. Then another, then another.

"I don't believe it. Doctor!" Pilar exclaimed. Dr. Madigan went over to Pilar to ask her what was wrong. "She's- she's alive. She's alive! Theresa's alive!"

Whitney and the others turned in shock.

"That's no possible…" Dr. Madigan couldn't believe this. He rushed over and checked the machine. His demeanor changed almost instantly.

"She's alive. Theresa's alive! Thank God!" Luis smiled and hugged his mother.

The doctor gave them all a sad look. "I'm sorry…"

"What do you mean? Her heart is beating without the machine, that means she's alive."

"Well, technically it does-"

"What do you mean, 'technically?'" Ethan inquired.

"This happens occasionally. Sometimes when the patient is on life support, the heart gets used to the rhythm and it takes it a while to actually stop beating. But as you can see," he said, pointed to the numbers on the screen. It now said 64.……………………………... 63.……………………………... 62.……………………………..., "The heart starts to slow down almost immediately. So, technically she is alive, but she is in no more than a coma still. Her heart is stopping… even now. I'm sorry."

"Oh, God…," Pilar cried.

It was as if everyone was losing her again. No one knew what to say. They were given a tiny ray of hope only to find out that it wasn't a ray, it was a grenade that exploded in their hands. They all walked out of the room feeling even worse than they had a couple of minutes ago; all were in tears.

Fox was consoling Whitney in the corner and Chad, Luis, and Miguel were talking amongst themselves. Ethan was alone with his thoughts, the thoughts that at tore him inside from every angle.

Just then, there was a ding and the elevator door opened. Inside was Antonio and Sheridan. And in Sheridan's hand was Little Ethan's. As soon as he saw Ethan, he ran to him with open arms. "Uncle Ethan! Uncle Ethan!" Little Ethan ran to Ethan with a smile that lit up the room in this time of great sadness. Ethan bent down and welcomed his godson into a hug, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"Hey, buddy!" Ethan said, trying to muffle the lump in his throat and hide his tears. They held each other for a long time. Whitney walked over to them and stood, feeling even worse at seeing the light of Theresa's life in front of her.

"Aunt Whitney!" Little Ethan exclaimed.

"Hi, honey."

"I want my mommy! Can I see my mommy?"

The words sent a painful serge through them all.

Sheridan walked up to Ethan with her hands clasped together in front of her. "How is she doing?"

Ethan looked down at Little Ethan and smiled. "Hey, buddy, why don't you go play with Uncle Fox and Chad over there."

"Okay." Little Ethan hopped away from them and Ethan stood up slowly.

"Ethan…?" Sheridan pressed.

"Um… she's- she's not so good."

"Oh, no. How bad is it?"

Whitney and Ethan exchanged a painful glance, both not wanting to deliver the bad news.

"What's wrong with my sister?" Antonio asked suddenly.

"I don't get it," Whitney scoffed at Antonio. "You're concerned now but you weren't before when we first told you that your sister was in the hospital."

Ethan looked over at her with a cautious eye. "Whitney…" It was hardly the time or the place to begin this argument.

"You know what, I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm just going through a lot emotionally right now. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, Antonio. I'm sorry."

Antonio stared at her a little frightened. "Um… that's alright. Don't worry about it." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "So, really, how is she doing?"

"Well… um… they… she's…" Ethan tried to get out.

"Ethan?" Sheridan asked again.

Whitney butt in. "She's dying."

Antonio and Sheridan both looked shocked. "What!"

"Well, she was in a coma," Ethan explained. "But.. uh… they pulled the cord-"

"They can't do that!" Sheridan yelled.

"They can if they had Pilar's permission."

"You're not actually saying that she allowed it!"

Ethan nodded. "She did."

"Why?"

"Yeah, why would she allow them to do that to Theresa?" Antonio chimed in.

"Well, the doctor explained that Theresa most likely wouldn't wake up. And he said that it wasn't right to just keep Theresa here as a vegetable. So, Pilar finally agreed."

"Oh, my God. Poor Pilar."

"Yeah."

"So wait a minute. If they pulled the plug, that means that Theresa's……"

"No… Well, not yet anyway."

Sheridan was confused. "But I don't understand. If she's no longer on life support then-"

"Dr. Madigan said that sometimes after a patient has been on life support, the heart gets used to the rhythmic paces," Ethan explained. "So, it may not just stop beating all together. It will slow down and eventually it'll stop."

"So, she's alive?"

"Technically, yes."

"Well, can't they wake her up?" Antonio tried to contribute.

"No, she's in a coma in a way, but her heart is giving up even now…" Whitney trailed off.

"Oh, my God! I can't even imagine what poor Pilar is going through. Where is she?"

"I'm right here, Sheridan," Pilar greeted stepping into the waiting room.

Everyone turned and saw Pilar standing not too far behind Ethan.

"Mama…"

"Antonio, mija, I'm glad you're here," she said embracing him. "Thank you for coming." She hugged Sheridan as well. "You too, Sheridan. Thank you."

"Of course. How are you doing?"

She let out a slight laugh. "I've had better days."

"Do you want anything? Can I get you something from the cafeteria?"

"Um… you know what, I'll go with you. I need to get away from all of this for a couple minutes."

"Okay, c'mon." Sheridan goaded Pilar in the direction of the elevator.

"I'll go too." They all hopped on the elevator and descended downward to the cafeteria.

"Uncle Ethan!"

Ethan turned and saw his godson calling him. "What's up, buddy?"

"Can I see my mommy now?" he asked with innocent eyes.

Ethan and Whitney gave each other the same look. "Uh.. sure. If you want." Little Ethan nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. But… uh.. you know what, mommy's sleeping right now."

"Can I kiss her goodnight?"

Tears welled in Ethan's red eyes. "Um.. yeah… C'mon." Ethan took Little Ethan's hand and led him into the hospital room, hating each second more than the last. Little Ethan saw his mother and went to her.

"Mommy?" he whispered. "Mommy, are you sleeping?" he whispered again. "Hey, Mommy. Guess what! Aunt Sheridan took me for ice cream, and then we got on a plane and it was really loud. Then my ears hurted and the lady gave me a thing for my jacket. She said they were wings. And then I got to go to the carpet and I saw them fly the plane. It was fun. Hey, Mommy, when are you going to wake up?"

"Why don't you tell your mommy that you love her and kiss her goodnight," Ethan whispered to him, passing the lump in his throat.

"Okay." Little Ethan bent down and kissed his mom on the cheek. "Goodnight, Mommy." He turned back to Ethan slowly. "Hey, Uncle Ethan, when is she gonna wake up?"

Ethan's throat clenched. "Um… I'm not sure, sport. But I think she's gonna be asleep for a long time."

"How come?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that one, sport. You'll understand when you're older."

"Uncle Ethan…?" Little Ethan asked. Ethan looked at Little Ethan for his question. "Are you crying?"

"Um… a little."

"Why?"

Ethan- "Don't worry about it, sport. Hey, are you hungry?" Little Ethan nodded. Ethan walked him out of the room and into the waiting area where Whitney was. "Whitney?" Ethan called.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take him down to the cafeteria? I'm gonna spend some time with Theresa."

Whitney knew that Ethan had been aching to see Theresa alone all day. "Sure. C'mon, Little Ethan." Little Ethan and Whitney got into the elevator and descended.

Ethan turned back into Theresa's room. He walked into the room and took the seat next to her bed. He sat there and took Theresa's hand in his. He looked at her for a long time before he spoke. Finally, when he did start speaking, he tried to push the lump out of his throat. "Theresa…. Theresa, you can't die. You have so much to live for."

Ethan's mind drifted backwards and he remembered times that he and Theresa spent together before.

_The snowfall fight was one of the most prominent memories and he focused on it. He remembered getting hit with a heavy lump of snow and seeing Theresa back down for another ball. She twisted and danced in the snow like an angel and he attacked her with his strength. When they fell to the ground, engaged in heavy laughter, their eyes connected. That was when he first felt that eternal pull. He knew from that moment on that somehow, Theresa had embedded herself into his soul… forever._

"Theresa, we've had so many wonderful times together. And we're going to have so many more. There's so much we haven't seen and done. There's so much joy and laughter ahead of us." He paused. "Do you remember you said that there are things that we can teach each other and show each other? You were right, Theresa. You were right." Again he looked up at the heart monitor. The numbers had dropped to 53 already. And they continued to drop. "I love you, Theresa. C'mon…. c'mon. Theresa, you can't die. I won't let you die. Theresa, I need you. I love you. I truly love you."

Fox had just walked into the room as Ethan finished his speech to the incoherent Theresa. He stood there and listened carefully. "Uh-hum… Am I interrupting?"

Ethan turned and cleaned his tears. "Um… no… I was just… I'm gonna head over to the chapel. I'll be back."

Before Fox could respond Ethan was gone. "Poor guy. I couldn't even imagine what it's like to lose the woman you love…"

And the numbers seemed to be on a never ending fall.

44.…………………………….. 43.……………………………... 42.……………………… 41.…………………………… 40.……………………………...

* * *

Ethan arrived at the hospital chapel, his heart breaking by the minute. "God, I know this is my fault. I've been a terrible man. And Theresa doesn't deserve to be going through something like this. She's done nothing but live her life to the fullest. And this is my fault. I should have left the apartment the minute I found out that she was staying there, but I didn't. And one thing led to another. But… but I don't regret it. Those last few times that I was with Theresa will stay with me for the rest of my life. If I could turn back the clock, if I could turn back time, I would tell her to go back to Harmony to get as far away from me as she possibly could, because if I had, Theresa wouldn't have been around for Gwen to attack her. Theresa would healthy, happy, and she would be with her son. She wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed with her son saying goodbye to her for the last time. But instead, she's fighting a war that she won't win because I was weak. Please, don't punish Theresa for my weakness. You punish me. And if you have to take someone, don't take her. She has a son. A beautiful little boy that she needs to take care of. You take me. You hear me? You take me!"

* * *

In Theresa's room, the numbers on the screen continued to drop.

33.……………………………. 32.…………………………… 31.…….…………………. 30.………………………….. 29.………………………….

* * *

"I know I'm to blame for all of this," Ethan admitted out loud to no one. If I'd only said no to Theresa, none of this would have happened. Theresa was right. She was the woman that I was supposed to be with. But I was too blind to see it. And because of that she is being taken from me. How can I ever forgive myself for this? How can I go on without her? She was the one person that could make me truly happy. And it's my fault that she's lying in that hospital bed without even the opportunity to fight back."

* * *

19.……………………………... 18.………………………… 17.……………………….. 16.…………………………….. 15.……………………………... 14.……………………………...

* * *

"I know that after everything that's happened, I don't deserve any happiness. Pushing Theresa away, not wanting to accept that fact that she was right and I was unhappy without her. If only I could do yesterday differently."

Ethan's mind was taken aback to the last time he talked to Theresa…

_"I'm moving out, getting a hotel room near the hospital," Ethan explained. _

"Ethan, you don't have to leave. I'm going to leave."

"No, Theresa. No, not necessary, okay? I just need you to swear- promise me that you won't let Gwen know that you are here in L.A."

"So much for the honorable upstanding half-brother," Fox said sarcastically.

"Fox, stay out of this, okay? I'm just trying to do what's right for my wife and my baby here."

"Yeah, right. Is that what you were doing when you got it on with Theresa earlier at the beach tonight?"

"I really, really mean it. Stay out of this, okay? The important thing is that she is kept calm and stress-free, at least up until she gives birth."

"Ethan, you've got my word, ok? She's not going to know that I'm here in Los Angels instead of home." Theresa looked at him with sincere eyes.

"Thank you. I mean, Theresa, the doctor told me her pregnancy's still high risk. I mean, any shock could harm the baby, could endanger her life, as well. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to either one of them."

"Ethan, I swear on my grandmother's grave there's no way Gwen's going to find out that we spent any time together or that we wound up in the same bed together."

"Don't forget about the hot-and-heavy workout on the beach earlier," Fox butt in again.

"Fox, really. Really, anytime you want to shut up, please feel free."

"Oh, thank you. Aye, aye, St. Ethan."

"And since she's not going to find out that I'm here, there's no reason that you should get a hotel." Theresa was doing everything she could to keep Ethan near.

"No, no, there's a hotel three blocks away from the hospital."

"But staying here is just two blocks away from the hospital. Don't you want to be as close to the hospital in case of an emergency?"

"The only emergency that Gwen is going to have is if she finds out that you and I are in the same apartment. Look, I already hate it that I've lied to her already. I just don't know what else to do with her pregnancy at this high of a risk. One shock and she could have a miscarriage."

"Finding out about Theresa could definitely fall into that category." Fox loved to anger Ethan whenever the opportunity arose.

"Ethan, you don't have to worry, ok? I'm going to stay far out of your guys' way. Just don't leave."

"You don't understand, do you? This is like a game to you. This is not a game to me. I love my wife, and I already love that baby, okay? This is a life-and-death situation to me."

"I know that."

"No, I don't think you do. Because as long as we' in close proximity to each other, Theresa, there's going to be a problem."

"Yeah, and why is that, Ethan?" Fox asked already knowing the answer.

"It's a problem because it always ends up the same way. We end up too involved, we end up too close. And it's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Gwen. I need to check into a hotel, and as soon as that baby is born, we're looking for a house somewhere."

"What do you mean? I mean, you're going to go back to Harmony, right?"

"No. I -- I've been thinking about this a lot, and I realize that it's just asking for a lot of trouble. We need to live as far away from Harmony as we can get."

Theresa was hurt by his false admission. "You mean far away from me."

Ethan winced when he answered, knowing that it would hurt her to hear it. "Yeah."

"Ouch," Fox interjected.

"You don't mean that. You don't mean that you would move thousands of miles away just to get away from me, Ethan. Would you?"

"I would and I will if it means keeping my marriage and my family happy and healthy."

"But I would never get to see you, and you would never get to see me. You would miss me too much."

"Yeah, I would," he admitted. "But I'd know I was doing it for the right reasons. I'm sorry, okay? My wife and my baby have got to be my first priority. They're the ones I need to think about. That's just the way it is."

Theresa shook her head sadly. "You can't mean that, Ethan."

"Hey, what's going on?" Whitney asked upon entering the room.

"My worst nightmare. Ethan's trying to break it off with the woman that I love, and she's breaking in two," Fox lied to keep up his pretense.

"Ethan, don't break my heart by telling me the worst thing I could ever imagine. I mean, yeah, it's one thing that you were married to Gwen and you want to be a good father to your child. But to tell me that you want to move all the way far away just to get away from me so you never see me again? Well, how am I supposed to keep hoping that things are going to work out for us?"

"You don't!" Ethan exclaimed. "That's the idea. Theresa, we had a really close call here tonight, okay? If Gwen would've seen us together, she could have lost that baby, and I refuse to take that risk again."

"But, Ethan, you love me. I just-"

"Listen to me, listen to me. You've always told me how much you love the fact that I've always been honest and that I always try to do the right thing, regardless of having been raised by a Crane."

"Yes. Yes, but-"

"No buts, no buts. I'm trying to do the right thing by my wife and my baby, but I can't trust myself to do that when I'm anywhere near you, Theresa."

"Ethan, doesn't that tell you anything?"

"It tells me that I'm making the right decision by moving away from you. If we're in the same town, if I even see you, it's too much of a temptation. We have proved that from our actions these last couple nights."

"It proves that you still want to be with me, Ethan. Don't you see that!" Theresa begged.

"I can't be the kind of man I want to be or the kind of man that I need to be when I'm anywhere around you. If you love me as much as you say you love me, you'll let me go. You'll let us go. It's the only way…"

Theresa stared at him in pain. She heard the words and yet she knew that he didn't mean them. His eyes were begging her to believe him, let it go. But was she capable of turning her back on the most precious thing that she had ever experienced?

That answer was simple. Silent tears spilled from her eyes and when she saw that the pain in Ethan's eyes mirrored her own, she fled the room, running past her love. Ethan whipped around, knowing how much he had hurt her, trying to stop her. But she was gone.

Ethan was brought back to the present and everything around him seemed more painful when he realized that Theresa would die with those words echoing in her head. _'You'll let me go. You'll let us go."_ If only she knew that he didn't mean it. He wanted nothing more than to take it all back. "If only I could turn back time," he whispered into the silent chapel.

* * *

The machine continued to countdown to something unknown.

9.…………………………… 8.…………………………….. 7.……………………………... 6.……………………………... 5.……………………………... 4.…………………………….

Pilar, Sheridan, Antonio, Whitney, and Little Ethan had returned from the cafeteria and were in Theresa's room, watching as Theresa left their world. Suddenly:

"Where's Ethan?" Pilar asked.

Fox looked up and answered. "Um… he said that he was going to the chapel."

"He should be here. Theresa… Theresa's leaving us…"

"I'll go get him." Fox left the room in search of Ethan.

And the numbers continued to drop.

3.……………………………... 2.……………………………... 1.……………………………... 0.……………………………...

And it ended with a beep. Theresa was gone…

* * *

It was strange. Ethan was kneeling before a statue in the chapel, when all of a sudden he felt this immense jerk. It was almost painful… And he knew…. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Fox ran the entire way to the hospital chapel and when he finally found Ethan, he was out of breath.

"Ethan!" Fox breathed.

Ethan turned, his heart pounding. Fox just eyed him and Ethan knew that it was true. Ethan didn't say a word and simply nodded, tears falling from his eyes. He had no more energy to care anymore. His soul was in too much agony not to shed its tears.

Fox could tell that Ethan needed to be alone, and left the room quietly. When Fox left, Ethan turned back to the statue and cried softly, only grief to surround him.

Cries were heard all throughout Theresa's room, Pilar's most profound.

"No, Dios mio! No! Por favor, no! Please don't take my little girl!" she cried.

It was positively the worst feeling any in the room had ever felt. They had lost Theresa once and then had to lose her all over again.

* * *

Ethan's elbows supported his weight as he dropped in tears, and his clamped hands seemed to squeeze together even tighter when the final wave of realization hit him.

It took a while for him to even think. All he knew, all he could feel was pain. Utter pain and misery. It swept over him like nothing he'd ever known before. Everything around him seemed not to matter anymore and it was if he were on a never ending fall, a ceaseless tumble downwards.

When Ethan knew that his tears would subside long enough to make sound, he spoke into the silence around him. "Theresa, I know you can hear me. You're now the angel that you always were here on earth." Suddenly, someone appeared in the chapel and listened while Ethan spoke. They made no effort for him to acknowledge the presence, but stood listening as his heart was revealed. "God, I miss you already, Theresa. And I'll love you always. I just- I'm just having a hard time knowing what to do. Please, tell me what I should do? What should I tell your son? What am I gonna say to him? Please, help me. Theresa, I can't do this alone. I can't live without you. I need you. I don't know what to do. What am I supposed to do without you? Before I met you, there was something missing, and I haven't had that feeling until now. Now I know what it is… Emptiness. Please, God. I know it's not possible, but bring her back! Please! I need her in my life. I don't know what to do without her." Tears had found themselves born again in the rivers that seemed to be forever etched on his cheeks. Ethan swallowed hard and rested his head on his clamped hands.

After minutes of crying, Ethan forced himself up. He needed to be strong. Theresa would have wanted him to be strong. He finally decided that he needed to get back to the others- especially Little Ethan. He got up from the pew and walked out of it slowly. As he turned, he thought he saw….But it couldn't be. Ethan did a double take and focused hard on something that wasn't there. What had he just seen? Whatever it was, it was gone now.

Ethan headed back to Theresa's room. When he got there, he saw his eyes reflected in those of everyone around him- sad, lost, heartbroken, empty, lonely, confused.

When Sheridan saw him, she immediately hugged him, wiping some of the mascara that had run from her eyes onto his shirt.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Dr. Madigan said apologetically.

Pilar looked up at him and with no emotion on her face answered with a simple, "Thank you."

After Ethan and Sheridan parted, he went over to Theresa's bedside, sat on the stool that was there, and took her hand. He brought it to his mouth, kissed it, and used it to muffle the sounds that he couldn't control anymore. Sheridan placed her hand on his shoulder as a reminder that she was there for him and he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't look at her face and know that she would never again look at him. He would never see her eyes smile at him when he made her laugh… never again.

All throughout the room, one could hear the sound of people crying and they started to leave the room, not being able to take it anymore either. Chad headed for the door first, followed by Whitney and Fox. Antonio and Miguel were close behind. 

Suddenly, piercing the quiet of the room, there was a beep- no one paid attention to it. Then another beep….. Then another beep… Then another one.. Then another!

Ethan finally looked up at the machines surrounding Theresa's bed. The heart monitor was different somehow. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see but it certainly wasn't what he saw in front of him. 

The flat line was no longer flat. There were tiny spikes appearing. Far apart at first, but then they came closer together. Ethan read the numbers carefully, blinking hard to make sure that he wasn't imagining things.

43.….. 44.…… 45.….. 46.….. 47.….. 48.….. 49.…… 50.…..

Theresa's heart… was beating! Her heart was beating by itself!

But why?

"Her heart's beating," Ethan whispered. "Her heart's beating," he repeated. "Her heart is beating!"

The others that were leaving the room returned and saw that Ethan wasn't delusional.

The numbers were now 57... 58... 59... 60... 61.. .62... 63. Then they stopped. But the spikes didn't. Her heart was beating!

"Oh, my God! She's alive. She's alive!" Pilar cried.

Dr. Madigan ran in quickly. "What! I don't-" His eyes checked the machines suddenly. They weren't hooked up. How could it be? "This doesn't make sense. I don't see how this is possible."

Ethan and the rest looked confused as well- at least up until Theresa's hand moved inside of Ethan's.

Ethan looked down and sure enough, her hand was moving. But that wasn't the only thing that was. Her eyes opened!

"Theresa….?" he whispered. Slowly she turned her head towards him. "Theresa!" Before she could say anything, Ethan had wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, my God, Theresa! You're alive!" The feel of her in her arms again, the sense of knowing that she could hold him back sent his soul soaring in ways he'd never thought possible.

"Oh, mija!" Pilar was crying yet again.

After everyone came in and hugged her, shed a couple more tears, Theresa finally had the opportunity to breathe.

Whitney rushed over to her best friend. "You're alive, you're really alive! Oh, my God!"

"How?" Pilar asked.

Theresa said nothing at first and looked to the man holding her hand. "Because of Ethan."

Everyone in the room turned their eyes to Ethan.

"I heard you… in the chapel," she said softly. "I was there."

"You… I thought-"

"I'm not sure how it happened, but when I heard what you were saying, I was begging to come back. It's like, our longing to be together gave me another chance. You brought me back, Ethan. I have to believe for a reason…"

Ethan was stunned. It was Theresa in the chapel. She had heard everything he said. She heard him profess how much he'd loved her and how much he needed her back. "But I don't-"

"Well, what did you say in chapel, Ethan?" Whitney asked him.

Ethan turned to Whitney and then right back to Theresa. "I-"

"You said that you loved me," Theresa answered for him. "You said that if you could do it all over again, you would. Just as long as you'd be with me."

Ethan smiled at her gently. "I would…" Theresa stared at him, the moment seeming too surreal to be happening.

The entire time, Dr. Madigan was working on the machines and taking notes. "Well, I checked your vitals. You seem to be doing fine, Theresa. I'm happy to say that I think you'll make a full recovery. It's amazing."

"No…," Pilar whispered. "It's a miracle."

Suddenly, something clicked in Ethan's mind as he remembered another conversation that he and Theresa had just day before…

_Theresa turned to Ethan slowly and spoke. "Okay, before you found out that Gwen was pregnant, when you were trying to decide which one us to propose to, who was it going to be? Gwen or me?" Theresa stared at Ethan for a long time trying to read his eyes but he didn't answer her question. "Ethan… who were you going to ask to marry you?" Ethan looked at her, almost begging her not to make him answer this question but she persisted. "You're always telling me how essential honesty is between two people. So tell the truth. If you hadn't found out Gwen was pregnant, who would you be married to right now? Gwen or me?" _

"It's irrelevant," he suddenly said. "You're bringing up the past. When it's the present and the future that matter. You're just going to have to face that reality."

"The hell with reality, Ethan. Just tell me the truth, answer my question. If Gwen wasn't pregnant would you have asked me to be your wife?" Ethan didn't speak again, "You can't just run away from my question. It's too important. It will effect the rest of our lives."

"No, no, it won't. This is what I'm trying to get through to you, okay. You're hanging onto the past when it doesn't exist anymore. Things have changed."

"Well if it changed one way, Ethan, it can change back. Look, I'm not asking you to make any major decisions right now. I know that's unrealistic. But-- but, someday, well you owe it to yourself as much as me to be completely truthful about your real feelings. Ethan, you know the last few years, all anyone does is lecture me about the importance of honesty. They keep, um, rubbing it in that if I had just been completely straight with you, not kept any secrets, things would be different now. It's your turn. Show me how you can tell the truth, even when it's not easy. You know that night you were carrying the engagement ring in your pocket? And you were pacing outside the Crane mansion, outside my room, outside Gwen's room. Who were you going to get down on bended knee in front of? Who did you picture spending the rest of your life with?"

Ethan turned to her slowly and took her hand in his. "You… I was gonna ask you to marry me. But-- but, it didn't work out. And it just wasn't meant. You want me to be completely honest, Theresa? Sometimes, the truth is really painful. I was going to ask you to marry me. But it didn't work out that way. Gwen's having my baby. She's my wife now. I'm married to her. So I meant what I said before. We don't have a future. So, um, whatever we shared in the past, whatever hopes and dreams we had together, we just need to let go of them. Because they're not going to come to pass. It's over, we can never be together."

It finally dawned on Ethan how wrong he had been. He slipped his hand into his pocket and found what he was looking for. He had both , Gwen's engagement and Gwen's wedding ring in his hand. It was meant. It was Fate.

He didn't want to give Theresa what was left of Gwen, but he knew this was something that needed to be done before anymore time was lost.

Ethan turned to Theresa, realizing that this couldn't feel more right. "Theresa….," he whispered.

"Yes?"

"Today was probably the worst day of my life. I thought I'd lost you. I did for a short while and I can't even explain how that made me feel. It made me realize something. It made me realize that I can't live without you. I couldn't even if I tried. I never want to know that feeling of never seeing you again. It scared me in ways that I never thought possible, Theresa." She stared at him and somehow wasn't as prepared for what he did next as she thought she was. Ethan took his hand from his pocket and held up the ring. "I wanted this to be perfect, but this situation is far from it. I have a question for you, Theresa. I love you and I want to marry you. So, here in front of your friends and family, will you marry me, Theresa? Will you be my wife? Theresa… marry me? Marry me and spend the rest of your life with me."

Theresa couldn't believe it. Her dream had finally come true. "Yes, yes, of course I'll marry you!" The words came out before she could think about them.

"Really? You will marry me?"

"Yes!" Theresa could barely contain her excitement.

Ethan smiled at her and looked down to his finger. He slowly slid the sparkling ring on her finger and kissed her softly. And he felt it. That spark, that passion was definitely there. She was back, and she was his. Ethan would never again have to know the feeling of having to live… Without Her.

The End


End file.
